Faith & Blue Makes News Across the Nation

Yesterday saw officers kicking off Faith & Blue weekend with everything from family bike rides to candlelight hymns. And across the nation, news outlets took notice as everyone from community members to officers reported their enthusiasm and hope for the weekend.

            Dozens of local news outlets covered Faith & Blue events, describing the weekend as a key way to break down barriers between community and police. As Washington, DC Comdr. James Boteler told NBC news, “the uniform sometimes becomes a barrier, but when you’ve got a pastor, a reverend, a rabbi, an imam standing next to you, oh boy, does that really break down those barriers.”

            Throughout the reporting, a common theme emerged: that while one weekend cannot solve every problem, Faith & Blue is creating the space for a better future. In Boston, community member Chris Etheart told CBS News that, “I’m glad my kids can grow up and this is something we can have in our community.” In Newport News, VA, 13 News Now reported that “attendees believed [Faith & Blue] was the answer to change in the community.”  

             It is clear that the message of the weekend is getting through: it is time to build lasting bridges between communities and the officers who serve them. As Chene Williams, a community member in western South Carolina  told WSPA news “If we have a dividing line between the residents of the community and law-enforcement then that creates this atmosphere of tension, but if we look at each other and say you’re my brother, you’re my sister then that creates more of a family.”